Rear Shock Options
 

So I'm currently looking at new shock fir the Hawk. Currently looking at these 2 DNM shocks i seen guy on here use the 1200lb 295mm at 80 bucks said was way better over stock requires some washers between bushings and he had it filled with nitrogen. And there is another DNM MK AR 1000lb same dimensions little more pricey at $118 that might be little better. Also seen the keoghs that is recommended on the hawk website.

I have seen alot of posts with riders installing this shock.
Seems that everyone of the day it is a night and day difference. I am actually thinking of installing this exact same shock but I would much rather order from Amazon. There are tons of them listed there as well and the same price.

I have the Keoghs adjustable shock found here. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3281...3-76cdf671bc30

It is listed as 320mm on the options list, but is in fact 325mm. The extra 5mm in length will result in about a 1/2" higher ride height than stock with the suspension at full droop, and the total stroke of the shock gives the rear about 7 inches of total travel, which is just a bit more than the stock shock. The spring rate for these shocks is 1200lb/in, which is perfect if you are a bigger guy (200+lbs). I have yet to bottom out my rear shock and I get full travel from it.

If you are a lighter guy (sub 200) then the 1000lb spring rate will likely be more ideal for you.

Just be aware that any small change in length will translate to roughly a 2.54 times change in height - Courtesy of OneLeggedRiders figures and results from a 30mm(1.18inch) shorter shock - 290mm - lowering his bike 3 inches. This figure also exactly matches my change in ride height with a 5mm longer shock, which if you do 5 x 2.54 you get 12.7, which is exactly 1/2 inch.

Interestingly enough, this also means you can easily calculate a ride height change from the difference in length in mm to ride height in inches thanks to the conversion for a mm to an inch being 25.4, and the ratio of length to right height being 2.54. Literally slide the decimal of the length difference to the left 1 point and change mm to inch.

Example: a 30mm shorter shock = 3.0 inch decrease in height. Or a 5mm longer shock = 0.5inch increase in height

If you are curious about how that works we can run through the math. Take 30mm times 2.54 to calculate the change in height, which is 76.2mm. Divide 76.2 by 25.4 to convert to inches and you get 3.

Obviously this isn't an exact thing since the arc of travel of the swing arm will alter the ratio some, but for the range of motion we are dealing with, it is more than sufficient.

Dan you broke it down wonderfully and thoroughly as always, but I would make it even simpler for the average Joes/window lickers.

1 centimeter on the shock = 1 inch of height change on the rear.

Did the Chinese design these bikes around a damn atv shock? Because when I do searches for 320mm shocks, motorcycle shocks dont come up but a ton of atv shocks do.

It’s been my experience the past year that this shock is decent on fire roads but bounces down the highway like a pogo stick. 60 mph or 30 mph it makes no difference and repeatedly rebounds. You can get the back tire off the ground like skipping a rock if you let it keep rebounding. Deaccelerating sharply or standing is the only way I can get mine to quit bouncing. The 1200 295mm is what I have.

Probably a 49cc scooter haha!

Your experience is quite different from mine. My shock performs wonderfully on and offroad with my 6'2" 260lb frame. It's not bouncy at all on the highway and I have the rebound damping set 3 clicks from firm. Due to it's reduced travel (the 290mm) I can get it to bottom out offroad but you have to work at it. There's a little bridge down from my house that I jump in 4th gear, and 90% off the time the rear suspension soaks up the landing without bottoming.

It would be nice to know who made your Ka-boing, Ka-boing shock. The reason I ask is because when I enquired of the various firms selling these things, that they had no model named Ka-boing Ka-boing anywhere in their data base. Maybe you can help me out?...ARH :cry:

Ditto. Mine does get a bit springy outside of the last 4 clicks, but fully firm is borderline too firm. And 3 back is perfect for bumpy terrain.

Seems i got a bad one like chiptoothy Mine is just like a pogo stick on dirt or on road. the spring rate is better than my TBR7 stock shock and sadly my rebound clicker adjuster is worthless.

My shock was also shorter than what i ordered , received a 300mm and i ordered a 310mm.

I got some of my money back when i filled a claim , shock cost $104 and i got back $57.

It seems the quality control is not good and luck plays a big part, kind of like buying a china bike most have great bikes but some have problems.


I still need a rear shock but i will probably get mine from amazon or ebay or wherever i can send it back if i get another dud. I don't know the ratio of good to bad but so far its 50/50 as in oneleggedrider and megadan both got good ones and chiptoothy and myself got bad ones.

Almost forgot , but mine was a Khoegs from ALI and came from china.

Did you have the fill the shock with Nitrogen? If so how many lbs?

Now the TBR7 on the other hand.. The stock shock may have adjustable preload but all that thing does is bounce.

That might be the missing ingredient. My shock arrived with zero paperwork or info, literally a shock in a padded plastic bag. I asked for advice from others as to which way up it goes in the bike, seller was like zero help with basic questions and zero help with my shock . So made a claim with Ali , who i must say were quick with a response and gave me the option of a full refund if i would send it back to China (i would pay shipping )( maybe so they could sell it to the next poor guy? ). or a partial refund if i kept it. I took the later option as i did not feel like dismantling the bike again and chasing a "we never got your shock scenario "

There is a plug on one end of the shock that could be the nitrogen refill port but i don't have any stuff to even do such a think anyway.

The big problem with my shock is the rebound clicker can just be spun around and around in either direction with maybe 3 clicks total in one full rotation every now and then.

I plan on stripping the shock down and cut it open if necessary to see what's in it and how the rebound clicker is supposed to work , I will post pics of course so people can see on this site.

My original shock started out ok but just go worse and worse too. If i pushed the back of the bike down really hard the back wheel would bounce off the floor when it rebounded .

Just so you know eye to eye stock is 12 inches (on my bike ) or 304mm. If Jay decides to upgrade he can raise (310mm-325mm ) or lower the bike ( 275mm-295mm). Also as megadan and you pointed out the 1200lb spring is good for more aggressive riders or 200lb plus weights and Jay could get away with the lighter 1000lb spring.

My shock was advertised as nitrogen charged and it does have a valve on it. They have since changed the advertisement and I've noticed some don't even have a valve or nozzle. It even has a warning on the shock body.

Jay's TBR7 is ridiculous, just going down my driveway it bounces like there's no rebound damping at all.

I feel the pain and frustration ( been there and done that ). If you get another shock keep us posted as to what your considering and why as i'm still in the market but not sure i would buy from china direct ? A dealer that sells them here with a return policy is the way to go i believe.

Testing a shock
 

Hello all.
My rear shock was so weak just my 240 lbs would bottom out the shock before I even started the engine.
I have seen tons of post with riders installing the prior posted shock with rave reviews.
I need a shock for sure and was tempted to buy the 1200 lbs shock but found one on amazon that looked like a direct fit and the same length as the stock.
All I wanted to do was try something different and try other available options.

https://www.amazon.com/TDPRO-310mm-A...omotive&sr=1-1

The shock is a direct fit as well as adjustable So far about 200 miles with it on road and rough dirt roads and it feels great
I adjusted the stock preload up a half inch but will probably bring it down 1/4 inch. The shock handles my 240 lbs well and does not feel bouncy in any riding condition. It does however lack the adjustable rebound damping the other shock has. As of yet I have not needed that option.

Has anyone else tried this shock? Are there opinions with usage and longevity?

It’s the same shock as MegaDan and OneLegged. I remember from the long conversation about F-S that no one can figure out fast slow or firm soft.


I’m going to try and use a bicycle pump on it at some point. It’s getting to where it likes to let the rear tire skip down the road after bumps. I started out on 3 clicks from F but run full F now.

That shock looks like the stock one that came on my TBR but with a different single rate spring ?, the welds , the color, the eyelets the adjustment nuts everything ?

I too, need a rear shock. The Bashan BSR's shock is 300mm/~320mm extended.


It bounces like a pogo stick with no shock absorption... :wtf:


I wonder if the shock is broke to begin with...

F = fast return.... less damping...
S = slow return.... more damping...



.

I was thinking that F would be firm and S would be soft but your explanation makes good sense, thanks for a different perspective.

Well on my particular shock F means firm and more damping. I know because I've played with it and it feels like the rear suspension is almost froze up on the F. 3 clicks back seems to be the sweet spot and Dan concurs.

Possibly the best way to find out for sure is remove the spring..
then just pull it in / out trying different damping settings...


..

Does anyone know if we can air these shocks up with a bicycle floor pump or gas station hose? I'm not trying to pay the KTM place for anything I don't have to :)

Bump..

Well Jay has decided he wants a new shock and a LED headlight for the TBR7. He's tired of bouncing down the road and not being able to see anything at night.

Paulstag says they eyelets are 304mm center to center, can anyone else confirm?

And I know it takes a different style headlight bulb that is used in some ATVs. I'll have to look it up to see what it is.

the stock bulbis a H6M 25w/25w halogen. i fitted an led bulb but it has the exact opposite pattern to the stock bulb. I don't ride at night so cannot confirm better or worse but i would imagine worse. Megadan posted a link to a led bulb but it seems like you have to make your own connections but does seem like it would be better than the one i used.

Just installed a new shock on the Hawk. If you haven’t already done so DO IT. What a world of difference. It’s like a new bike. Now the front forks suck. Gonna follow Megadan and install cartridge emulators soon.

I should have made this the first mod why did I wait.:doh:

What shock did you go with. wanting to swap my rear shock out on my xpext. the stock shock sucks so bad off road.

Keoghs that everyone is running. It’s well made. Height changes a little until you sit on it.

How did you select the size you want the Ali web site is a cluster.

I need to lower my bike !!! it's a YX250GY, I don't think it's sold in the USA but it looks like a CSC TT250.
I'm trying to decide between the Keoghs 290MM 1200lbs and the DNM 295mm 1000lbs but need the shock travel distance... anyone with those shocks that can help? In another page, I read the Keoghs has only 40mm of travel.
The current shock is 310MM with 75mm travel.
I'll sincerely appreciate any guidance.

Measure your shock center to center on the eyelets and keep in mind a 10mm change in length will equate to a 1" height adjustment. And you will lose some travel going shorter/lower but you can add some preload if it bottoms out.

I'd say if you weigh less than 200lbs go with the 1000lb spring, 1200lb spring if you weigh over 200lbs. That's just a recommendation based on how mine feels and not based on any research or information.

Thanks for the advise. The original shock is 310mm eye to eye. The 295mm DNM shock is 15mm shorter so I assume the seat would be 1.5" lower. The front shock tubes can only be lowered 1". The bike won't be even, buy I don't think I'll notice the difference when riding.

My real concern is the rear shock travel... if anyone has the DNM MK-AR shock, please help with the travel length even if approximate...
All I've been able to find in the DNM web page for the MK-AR family is: Eye to Eye length 260-430 mm; Travel 48-120 mm.

Again, any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

I am about to jump in the Keoghs shock crowd. Finally found some travel info on the Keoghs. Again they only give you an range. All better shocks I can find either have a reservoir or hose with remote reservoir.

should I get the 1200 or the 1000 lb. I read aggressively offroad alot, I weigh 160. I occasionally tide 2 up but I want it mostly able to handle whoops and jumps as much as possible. lol

But then watch the wheels fold and swing arm bend...
These are not bikes that should be jumped

The 1000lb shock would probably be best. Cousin Jay likes riding my Hawk (even though he won't admit it) but both the front and rear suspension are a little stiff for his 140lbs.